The 2008 Year-in-Review thread

[Ron Boerger]

A #2 team shouldn't be "tested" by a 4-3 squad that's managed to lose to 2-5 McDaniel already.

[HScoach]

^^ Very true.

Muledaddy's constant drivle is getting a little old.  We'll find out exactly how good, or not so good, Muhlenberg is come playoff time. 

Until then, just take a deep breath and enjoy the fact you don't need to be ranked 1 or 2 to have a shot at a mythical title.  We get to settle it on the field.

[muledaddy]

Ron and Coach,

Let's score the test on Monday.i agree the playoffs are where we really get to assess talent and teams best.Just staying unbeaten until then is always a reasonable goal.The drivel continues.,,,like deja vu all over again.Enjoy the Phillies parade.

[Ron Boerger]

Is it a test when you get 70 points just for showing up?    8)

[PA_wesleyfan]

A player from Gallaudet wearing #54 played guard,tailback and quarterback (under center)  yesterday against Wesley.

[labart96]

My 2 cents for the Year in Review (apologies if I should have figured this out 2-4 years ago):

If the Chair of the NCAA will go on the record saying that there are no regions, but 4 top seeds and pools 1, 2, 3, and 4, then we should go ahead and dispell this b.s. of there being an East, North, South and West Region.

Although geographically correct, there is no validity of regions being considered (other than avoiding travel costs by the NCAA), as part of the championship format - which is what the regular season is about setting up in the first place.

[K-Mack]

My 2 cents for the Year in Review (apologies if I should have figured this out 2-4 years ago):

If the Chair of the NCAA will go on the record saying that there are no regions, but 4 top seeds and pools 1, 2, 3, and 4, then we should go ahead and dispell this b.s. of there being an East, North, South and West Region.

Although geographically correct, there is no validity of regions being considered (other than avoiding travel costs by the NCAA), as part of the championship format - which is what the regular season is about setting up in the first place.

This is definitely a topic worth reviewing. Hadn't seen it stated very clearly in my scattered following along the past two days.

The Week 11 carnage might be the story of the year.

Let's see:

Rivalry upsets:
Ithaca > Cortland State
DePauw > Wabash
Randolph-Macon > Hampden-Sydney
Moravian > Muhlenberg

Head-to-head showdowns for conf titles & bids:
St. John's > Carleton
CNU > Ferrum
Aurora > Lakeland
B: LaGrange > Huntingdon

Blew a solid chance at a Pool C bid:
Montclair State (Kean)
Redlands (Cal Lu)
RPI (USMMA)
H-SC (R-MC)

- Northwestern (Minn.) lost it's Pool B chance

Controlled Pool A destiny and lost:
St. John Fisher
Catholic
Albright

Won & backed into a Pool A bid:
Ithaca
Randolph-Macon
Lycoming

Blew a chance at a No. 1 seed/undefeated season or first-round home game:
Cortland State
Wabash

Had no almost chance at the beginning of Saturday, ended up in playoffs:
Wheaton

Am I forgetting anything?

[K-Mack]

Although geographically correct, there is no validity of regions being considered (other than avoiding travel costs by the NCAA), as part of the championship format - which is what the regular season is about setting up in the first place.

Playing devil's advocate, is that not reason enough?

It's not like the NCAA is claiming they have balanced brackets and then backdoor us with the travel costs thing. It's understood and relevant to many limited-budget D3 schools.

[Ralph Turner]

Bob Gregg listed the 2-loss teams.

The first team listed is the primary loss that kept the team from earning the "A" or "B" bid.  The second loss is the one that prevented the team from consideration as a "one-loss Pool C", Wheaton excepted.

Team..................................	Primary Loss.....................	Second Loss.............................
Adrian (8-2) MIAA	Trine 0-9	Capital 14-34
Cal. Lutheran (7-2)  SCIAC	Oxy 21-24	Willamette 17-31
Catholic (8-2)  ODAC	RMC 20-32	Bridgewater 26-37
DePauw (8-2)  SCAC	Millsaps 13-55	Trinity TX 32-45
H-SC (8-2)  ODAC	RMC 21-31	Catholic 21-33
Hartwick (7-2)  E8	Ithaca 42-69	Springfield 31-45
Huntingdon (8-2)  SLIAC	LaGrange 17-27	H-SC 34-38
Johns Hopkins (8-2) CC	Muhl 23-28	Moravian 10-33
Montclair St (8-2)  NJAC	Cortland St 17-23	Kean 17-21
Moravian* (8-2)  CC	Dickinson 7-16	Gettysburg 41-48
Redlands (7-2)  SCIAC	Oxy 15-28	Cal Lu  17-24
Ripon (8-2)  MWC	Monmouth 35-38	OW-Oskkosh 13-14
RPI (7-2)  LL	Hobart 17-20	USMMA 21-23
Rowan (8-2)  NJAC	Cortland St 20-27	Montclair St  14-30
Trinity (8-2)  SCAC	Millsaps 27-56	Centre 17-26
Wheaton (8-2) CCIW	NCC 21-44	Elmhurst 23-37
Wooster (8-2)  NCAC	Wabash 24-45	CWRU 7-28
Salisbury (8-2)  ACFC	Wesley 21-36	Del Valley 27-41
Husson (7-2)  NAC	D-2 Merrimack 7-42	D-2 American Int'l 7-35

*Moravian gave Centennial Conference champion Muhlenberg the Mules' only loss.  "Primary" and "secondary" loss are arbitrary.



Thanks to Bob Gregg for compiling the list.
http://www.wjpa.com/allinone08.pdf

[tv112]

OTTERBEIN

Picked to finish 4th by the coaches and 6th by the media in the OAC, But finished the year with a 9-1 record, 2nd place in the OAC, 10th in the DIII polls and the first trip to the NCAA DIII football playoffs in the schools history. Good luck to the OTTERBEIN CARDINALS on November 22nd.

[K-Mack]

OTTERBEIN

Picked to finish 4th by the coaches and 6th by the media in the OAC, But finished the year with a 9-1 record, 2nd place in the OAC, 10th in the DIII polls and the first trip to the NCAA DIII football playoffs in the schools history. Good luck to the OTTERBEIN CARDINALS on November 22nd.

Hmm, picked to make the playoffs by one D3 prognosticator I know.

[Pat Coleman]

My Kickoff prediction would've been right too if the committee hadn't shuffled the rankings the last week.

[The Forgotten Man]

No matter how well they do on Saturday, I think (OK I am a little biased  ) the success of the LaGrange College program this year is good one when reflecting on this year.

In only their third year, they were 0-20 the first two seasons and picked to finish only 4th in the conference. Coach Mooney, his staff, and a solid group of young men who stayed with the program from the beginning have really done a great job. They are now 9-1 conference champions and prepping for the first round of the playoffs.

I hope their story will move other D3 schools in the south and especially Georgia to start football programs.

Jason Bowen has covered the team well in his Around the South columns this season.

[Ralph Turner]

Forgotten Man, you have every right to be "bustin' your buttons" proud.  Of the new programs in the South, considering all of the resources and characteristics of each, I thought that your 0-20 would be the hardest to overcome to establish a program.

I agree with programs starting in the South.

What we need is for at least three more schools to move to the GSAC! How those schools handle football, and if they add football is another discussion.

(It looks like Covenant may be the next one for the GSAC.) 

I hope that LaGrange/Huntingdon can help build it!    (Of course, Maryville is an affiliate in the USA South.)

[@d3jason]

A player from Gallaudet wearing #54 played guard,tailback and quarterback (under center)  yesterday against Wesley.

He also played defensive line. His name is Joshua Doudt (I believe.)